Chasing Quality Engagement- Instagram’s Everchanging Algorithm
The Chase is real! Brands have never trailed quality engagement like this before. Are they getting far enough with this effort though?
Everyone in the industry is well aware of the mysterious Instagram Algorithm that we and the brands we manage rely on all the time. No matter how engaging our content is, if the Algorithm decides to be against our favor, it is very much likely that the efforts it took to make an engaging post would go to waste and no one likes that, do we?
These “Algorithms” as they say, change from time to time, which makes it difficult for strategists to catch up with the ever-changing, ever-evolving updates. By the time we set ourselves and truly understand new Instagram systems, newer updates and features become available which drastically change the way we understood the Algorithms before.
Now a lot of factors come into play when it comes to cracking the code and breaking the norm that is surrounding our social presence. Multiple brands and strategists have decoded the mystery and figured their way out to adapt to the changes quite easily. Yet this hasn’t become a common practice and it’s time it did.
Let me take you through the easiest tricks that are out there and are the simplest ways to crack the algorithms.
- Experiment
Experimenting is fundamental! Social Media is dynamic on all fronts and with the audience’s constant change of content preferences, just like the algorithms, it becomes essential to keep experimenting with new kinds of content. Experimentation is also one way to make your content go viral on the platform. It is rather unpredictable whether your content will go viral or not. But if you never try, you never know, right?
- Keep an eye out on what others are doing
Competitors are always going to be your biggest threat. And sure, the changing algorithms do affect their social media game as well, but if you don’t grab your opportunity somebody else definitely will. Before you see your opportunity arising, make sure you have a look at what your competitive brands have been doing in terms of presenting their content to the audience. This activity will simply help you identify your Do’s and Don’ts while also being a catalyst to draw inspiration from those who have already cracked the code.
- Understand the Data
Learn how to understand the data you have at hand! Data is not just numbers out there but also observations and behavioral patterns that you as a strategist can derive from your personal experience. Gather data interpretations and opinions from teammates and brainstorm on ideas that can further be executed to create quality engagement of great value
- Adapt
As essential as it is to explore various kinds of content and forms of communication, it is also extremely essential to adapt to the industry’s and the audience’s needs and wants. Content has a low shelf life. It becomes stale after just a few days and the audience loses interest to buy it. The need to adapt then arises and adapting in the truest form is the only way out to make your content engaging enough for the viewers.
- Clear Vision & Execution
Once you’ve adapted and found ways to apply your learnings, it becomes almost mandatory to have a clear vision and a detailed plan of action to support you towards success. Only a clear vision and your drive to achieve it will help make a solid execution plan. Guide your team and supervise at each step of the process. Executing to the T is a must and leading the team to do so becomes a large part of the project.
Now that you’ve read on the easiest tricks and daily rituals to get your content game on, start applying them right and you’re sure to see the results you need. Learn to be patient with it though. Cracking the code to the Instagram algorithm is a big task and it will take a good 6-10 months to get the hang of it, but don’t you give up! Keep going on even if it doesn’t seem to work out. Experiment, understand, adapt and execute! Abide by this rule and you shall see the light to your social media booming and breaking the internet!
About the author:
Nawaal Fakih, Senior Growth & Brand Building Strategist, Wife